BP drugs help over 80s

2nd April 2008

Research from Imperial College London has shown that treating the over 80s with blood pressure drugs cuts the risk of strokes and heart problems.

In the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, ICL carried out research among 3,845 patients with high blood pressure and found that drug treatment reduced their death rates by 21%. Within a year of treatment, there was also a 64% drop in heart failure, 39% drop in stroke deaths and 34% reduction in cardiovascular events.